Pasillo (English: little step, hallway or aisle) is an Ecuadorean and Colombian genre of music popular in the territories that composed the 19th century Viceroyalty of New Granada: Born in the Andes during the independence wars, it spread to other areas; especially Ecuador (where it is considered the national musical style) and, to a lesser extent, the mountainous regions of Venezuela and Panama.
Pasillo gained popularity from the recordings of the duet "Ecuador", once performed by Enrique Ibañez Mora and Nicasio Safadi.
[2] Younger generations of Ecuadorians still enjoy pasillos, including new styles sung by Juan Fernando Velasco and Margarita Lazo.
According to author Ketty Wong, since the beginning of the 20th century the Ecuadorian pasillo stopped being a festive genre played in saloons and bands became more popular.
[4] Nowadays, Ecuadorian pasillo is a national icon, and younger generations are adding new styles, thus supporting wide-scale distribution.